Letter from the CEO

I am delighted to extend a warm welcome to you to The Cooper Institute. Hopefully, this is the first of many occasions we’ll have to correspond on-line, exchange information, and receive your questions and inquiries. We plan to keep you current with the latest research, articles, and publications in our critically important specialty – preventive medicine and wellness, especially the role of regular physical activity in preserving your health and function.

We would also like to hear about what interests you the most about our work, health concerns of you and your family, and ways you have successfully adapted healthy choices into your everyday life.

I invite you to take a leisurely tour of the site and become familiar with the types of life-changing information and knowledge that will be at your fingertips daily.

Dr. Kenneth Cooper, the “Father of Aerobics,” founded the Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 1970, six months before opening his world famous preventive medicine clinic. He knew an independent research institute was needed to bridge the gap between fitness faddism and scientific legitimacy in order to establish the direct relationship that exists between physical activity and good health. The Institute is governed by its own Board of Trustees and remains administratively and financially independent from any other enterprise.

Since 1970, the Institute has gone even further than Dr. Cooper first envisioned with both research and education initiatives that have made us one of the premier facilities in the world in bringing physical activity to the forefront of public health and medicine. I am very proud of our accomplishments, the dedication of our staff, and the cutting edge work we continue to perform in both research and education.

The Institute certifies approximately 5,000 health and fitness professionals annually through our classes here in Dallas and throughout the world. Using our “Teach the Teacher” model, our reach extends exponentially so we feel we impact millions of lives directly and indirectly. We also have new programs specifically targeted for the public, such as Active Living Every Day and Healthy Eating Every Day.

On behalf of the Institute, thank you for your interest in and support of our work. Feedback from you is important so that we can better serve your needs. Knowledge is power, and I sincerely hope, at the very least, through our site we have either added to your body of preventive medicine knowledge – or perhaps have ignited that spark that will set you on the course to healthier living!

	Fred Meyer Chief Executive Officer The Cooper Institute